Norfolk Police warn of FIFA lottery scam letters

Police are warning about a scam letter which is being sent to homes in Norfolk claiming people have won large amounts of money in a lottery.

The letter claims to be from the International FIFA World Cup Online Lottery in Australia and claims the recipient has won a large cash prize, often for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The letter asks the victim to complete a payment processing form, which involves passing their bank details on. They are also asked to send a ‘processing fee’ to claim the full cash amount.

Sergeant Richard Bedder of Norfolk Police said: “The International FIFA World Cup Online Lottery does not exist and this is clearly a scam run by fraudsters trying to con people out of their money.

“I would urge the public to be vigilant about this type of fraud and should you receive such a letter, do not respond.”

Letters have been sent to homes in the Sprowston area in recent weeks and more than 20 people received a similar letter in the Dereham area in May. Anyone who may have received such a letter should report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

More information on how to recognise and help protect yourself from lottery fraud can be found on the Action Fraud website www.actionfraud.police.uk